Prominent American columnists
Jack Anderson and
Drew Pearson were critical of Thomas and his committee's methods. Rumors about corrupt practices on Thomas's part were confirmed when his secretary, Helen Campbell, sent documents to Pearson, which he used to expose Thomas's corruption in an August 4, 1948 newspaper article. The fraud had begun on New Year's Day of 1940, when Thomas placed Campbell's niece, Myra Midkiff, and Campbell's maid, Arnette Minor, on his payroll as clerks. Midkiff earned roughly $1,200 a year and was to kick back her entire salary to the Congressman. Through this practice, he would also evade a tax-bracket increase. As a result, Thomas and Campbell were summoned to answer to charges of salary fraud before a
grand jury. Thomas refused to answer questions, citing his
Fifth Amendment rights, the most common stance for which he had criticized accused Communists. Indicted, Thomas was tried and convicted of
fraud, fined and given an 18-month prison sentence. He resigned from Congress on January 2, 1950. Thomas was paroled after serving nine months. In an ironic twist, he was imprisoned in
Danbury Prison, where
Lester Cole and
Ring Lardner Jr., both members of the "Hollywood Ten," were serving time due to Thomas's inquiries into the film industry. ==Post-prison==